Help Needed on Saturday: Graham will need some Marshals and helpers at the finish line to run the race. Please contact him if you can assist.

Some Important Reminders about Race Organisation;

To help in the smooth running of races, could members please assist by;

·Arriving
at the venue before the scheduled signon on time (usually 15 minutes
before the scheduled race start) to give time to enter and print the
starting sheets,

·Having your helmet ready at signon for inspection,

·Having your race number visible (not hidden under race jacket),

·Ensuring you report back to the Race Director if you DNF to ensure we can account for all riders.

This will all help in ensuring the smooth running of the events.

Dairy Rd Race Report

This
was a points race with a sprint every 2nd lap and a final lap sprint.
Windy conditions on the Hot dog course at Dairy Flat and as the
afternoon closed in so did the cold. There were 45 riders including a
tandem competing across the 3 races.

A/B
grade set off together and was a fiercely contested race with points
accumulated by a number of riders (7 of the 13 riders scored points).
Scott Sparkman managed to win the day by 1 point from Steve Jones while
Aaron Sedgmen managed 3rd overall with Christophe Barbaret recording all
his points on the final sprint and snuck into 4th ahead of Tom Hartley
on a countback.

C/D with the
handicap start saw a bit of attrition towards the end with a few DNFs as
the high early pace took its toll. After the handicap start Ian
Donnelly soon established himself as the race pacesetter and after the
2nd lap was never caught. Adrian Rollins was 2nd followed by Andrew
Skerman, Gary Waldron and David Rowe. Over half of the riders (9 of 17)
scored points in this race.

E/F/G
saw the first tandem team (Ermert Cameron) compete and were joint
winners with John Barlow. Again the windy conditions played havoc with
the 2 peletons and split them up fairly quickly but all riders managed
to finish in the race. 3rd was Ian Shaw followed by Malcolm Tew and Mick
Donaldson. 6 of the 14 riders scored points.

Thanks to Ben, Lee, Kevin and Brendan (our first aid officer) for their assistance on the finish line.

Hartley Lifecare 24hr Wheel-a-thon.

Hartley Lifecare is running a 24 bike relay to raise money for the Assistive Technology Program.

The
Assistive Technology program helps children and adults gain greater
independence, integrate socially, access the community and education and
the workplace, communicate with others, and, help establish control
within their environment.

24 hours of fun will make a huge difference to the life of a person living with a disability…

Your chance to have a say about cycling in Canberra in the lead up to the ACT Election.

There
will be presentations from the ACT Greens, ACT Labor and the Canberra
Liberals and the opportunity for questions from the floor. Attendance is
free.

Members who would like to raise their views with the party representatives are encouraged to attend.

ACT Veterans Member Profile

In our next member profile we look at we look at Paul Connor;

How long have you been a member of ACT Vets?

About 5 years. Being Defence I've moved around a lot, with this the first time I've joined a Vets club.

What is your favourite course in the ACT Vets racing calendar and why?

Criteriums
at Stromlo, as there are no hills for me to have to chase Ian and
Graham up. If you could find a flat road course with a down hill sprint
that would be great.

What Grade did you start in with the Vets?

A grade, with the aim to stay there for as long as the legs will allow me.

What do you like about racing with the Vets?

Having
the option to race just about every week, a good variety of races and
courses, and a social environment. Having tipped over the 40 mark I've
finally accepted my time chasing 20 year old A grade riders over hills
is over.

How long have you been cycling?

I
started racing when I was 12, so just a few years ago. Back then you
had to ride track in the summer and road in the winter, which was
actually a great introduction into the different skills required. Since
then I've raced fairly consistently, with a few breaks while studying.
I've bounced between triathlon for about 6 years, cross country mountain
bike racing, and adventure races, but I always come back to road racing
as my real love. When my daughter was old enough and showed an interest
in riding too, I got back on to the velodrome which I love.

What got you interested in cycling?

My
whole family rode motorbikes and I was racing motorcross until Dad had a
bad crash which smashed his leg. He took up riding to try to rebuild
his strength and got convinced to race, and then we all followed him.
With 6 kids and both parents racing we ended up with 30 bikes in the
garage, which teaches you how to maintain them as well. My parents still
ride on a daily basis, but I'm the only one still racing.

What was your most memorable ride?

Too
many to list, but probably the 3 Tour de Etapes I've done over in
France are the best memories. I've completed the Etape in 2004, 2009 and
2010 including finishes on Ventoux and Tourmalet. The closest us mere
mortals can get to experiencing the Tour de France, with closed roads
and lots of people out supporting you.

If you get the chance to do one make sure you take it.

What is/was your favourite bike?

Whichever
one I'm riding at the time - still have 6 bikes so just about one for
every day of the week. I work on the philosophy that the number of bikes
you need is n + 1, where n is the number you currently own. If I had to
choose it would probably be the road race bike, a Look 586 with Campag
Super Record.

Where do you work?

I've been in the Air Force since leaving home at 18, currently working in support of Aerospace acquisitions.

How do you find the time to train?

Most training is riding to work and back with some longer ones on the weekend when I can.

Do you have a special training regime?

Not really. I'm a jack of all trades and just love racing, so try and tailor the training to whatever my next main event is.

What does your family think of your cycling?

They
have always been very supportive, partly because they recognise that if
I go a few days without riding it's not good for anyone.

An interesting fact about yourself;

My mother was the Australian Vets ladies 40 - 44 champion back in about 1988.

Here’s a picture of Paul in action;

Race Referees

The
other change required by the AVCC is that all future racing must be
conducted by club registered Race Referees. The race committee is asking
for volunteers to take on the role. The Referee should be knowledgeable
in the rules of the AVCC, and the club, and be willing to enforce those
rules to the benefit of the club and its members.

These
members will be put on a rotating roster to undertake their duties
throughout the year, with consideration given to obligations. Each
referee will receive their membership for the year that they are roster
at the clubs expense.

As everyone
has already joined for this year we will wave all future race fees for
the rest of the year for all this years rostered referees in lieu. The
need for volunteers is a matter of urgency and we must be able to meet
this requirement before the start of the winter season when the new
policy will take effect.

The
important question to be asked is what happens if we don’t get the
minimum number of referees. The race committee will be forced to
reassess the calendar and reduce the number of races.